Four squads are left in this year's CCC Women's Basketball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank.
PREVIEW: CCC Women’s Basketball Tournament Semifinals, Presented by U.S. Bank
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Tuesday night’s 2018-19 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Women’s Basketball Quarterfinals, presented by U.S. Bank, resulted in no huge surprises. With the exception of No. 5 seed College of Idaho’s victory over No. 4-seeded Southern Oregon, each of Tuesday’s favorites came out victorious to advance to tomorrow’s semifinals.
Tournament Central
Now the four remaining CCC squads—Eastern Oregon, Corban, Oregon Tech, and College of Idaho—will compete on an even bigger stage, this time, with a berth to the CCC Tournament Championship on the line.
A preview of each of tomorrow’s semifinal battles can be seen below.
#5 College of Idaho at #1 Eastern Oregon – La Grande, Ore.
College of Idaho (16-13) has shown itself capable of playing with the best-of-the-best in 2018-19, making their quarterfinal victory over No. 4-seeded Southern Oregon not terribly surprising to followers of the CCC. The Yotes put together an impressive performance in Ashland, led offensively by Madison Holly, who racked up 29 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the triumph. Mackenzie Royce (18 points, four assists) and Jocelyn Cook-Cox (12 points, five rebounds) were impressive in their own right, giving the Yotes a variety of weapons to turn to in their upcoming bout with the No. 1-seeded Mountaineers.
Eastern Oregon (26-3) showed no signs of anxiety as the No. 1 seed, cruising to a comfortable first-round victory over Multnomah, 91-62. The 29-point win was spearheaded by reigning CCC Female Athlete of the Year, Maya Ah You Dias, who scored 23 points and racked up 14 boards for her seventh double-double of the 2018-19 season. Maren Herrud (14 points) and Emma Logan (11 points, seven rebounds) also finished in double-figures in the victory, showcasing the depth of the NAIA’s No. 9-ranked squad.
The two Interstate-84 rivals met twice in the regular season, with the Mountaineers claiming both contests. Both games were relatively tight, with the team’s first matchup on December 18—an 86-84 win for EOU—coming down to the final seconds.
#3 Oregon Tech at #2 Corban – Salem, Ore.
Oregon Tech (23-8) continues to be as hot as any team in the NAIA, defeating No. 6-seeded Warner Pacific in convincing fashion on Tuesday night, 79-62. As is OIT’s modus operandi, the Lady Owls held the Knights to just 62 points, while spreading their offensive attack across four (Courtney Clemmer, Kristin Farrell, Nohea Waiwaiole, and Megan Morris) double-digit scorers. Clemmer and Farrell were particularly impressive, with Clemmer notching 21 points and nine rebounds and Farrell finishing the night with 19 points.
Corban (23-8) took care of business against No. 7-seeded Northwest, thanks in large part to a record performance from the CCC’s second-highest scorer in 2018-19, Jordan Woodvine. The junior guard matched her own school record for scoring in a single game, dropping 41 points in the triumph. Emily Yost adds another threat for Oregon Tech to consider, as she finished Tuesday’s quarterfinal with an impressive performance (14 points, 11 rebounds) of her own.
Adding further intrigue to tomorrow’s matchup, the two squads split their two-game regular-season series. Corban claimed the first matchup in Klamath Falls by a final margin of 85-79, and the Lady Owls defeated the Warriors on the road in the latter contest, 49-39.
A complete schedule for the tournament can be seen below, all semifinal games will tip off at 7 p.m. local time.
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, February 19 (All times 7 p.m. local)
#8 Multnomah at #1 Eastern Oregon à Winner: Eastern Oregon
#7 Northwest at #2 Corban à Winner: Corban
#6 Warner Pacific at #3 Oregon Tech à Winner: Oregon Tech
#5 College of Idaho at #4 Southern Oregon à Winner: College of Idaho
Semifinals – Friday, February 22
#5 College of Idaho at #1 Eastern Oregon
#3 Oregon Tech at #2 Corban
Championship – Monday, February 25
Highest remaining seed hosts lowest remaining seed (Broadcasted on ROOT Sports)
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